Detachable shoe heel



Jan. 14, 1930. M. s. GUTIERREZ DETACHABLE SHOE HEEL Filed April 30. 1928Patented Jan. 14, 1930 UNITED sTATEs MANUEL S. GUTIRREZ, OF LOS ANGELES,

CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JOSEPH D. ZUBIA, OF LOS ANGELES,CALIFORNIA nETAcHABLE suon-HEEL Application led April 30,

Mg invention relates to shoes, boots, and .the 'ke, and it has for apurpose the :pro-

vision of a simple, durable, and effective means for fixedly securing aheel to a shoe in such manner as to permitthe ready detaching of theheel, should it become damaged or ilnfuly worn, and the substitution ofa new Further, my invention permits heels of various heights to be usedon one and the same shoe, thus permitting the latter to be used as adress or Walking shoe.

I Will describe only one form of detachable shoe heel embodying myinvention and will then point out the novel features in the claim.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a view s owing in-side elevation and partly in section oneform of shoe having applied thereto onel form of detachable heelembodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing the released positionof theparts for holding the heel on the shoe incident to removal of the heel;

Fig. 3I is a verticalsectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; j

Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the groove member shown in lthepreceding views;

Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of the 'shoe heel with therespective parts of the attaching means applied thereto; and

Figs. 6 and 7 are detail perspective views of certain parts of theattaching means carried by the shoe heel.

Referring specifically to the drawings, my invention 1n its presentembodiment comprises a groove member in the form of an elongated plate15, of metal or other suitable material, provided at intervals along itslength with openings 16 through which nails, rivets, or other suitablefastening members 18 are extended for securing the plate to the underside of the body of the shoe, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 1, theplate being bent to conform to the curvature of the correspondingportions of the shoe. At the rear end of the plate two lips 19 areprovided and which lips are arranged in converging relation so 192s.serial' No. 274.095.

.that the intervening space provides a groove -section as illustrated inFig. 3. In covering relation to the tongue and ixedly secured to theheel by means of fastening members 22 is a plate 23 preferably of metal,designed to reinforce the tongue and coacting with the groove member toretain the heel on the shoe. By reference to Fig. 3, it will be notedthat the plate 23 is of such width as yto produce in effect acontinuation of the tongue transversely so that the major holding stressis imposed on the plate and not on the tongue which is usually formed ofwood.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the tongue 21 is provided with a slot 24designed to receive a latch lever 25 and its lug 26. One end of thelever is provided with a projection 27 adapted to seat within a socket28 of the heel in al manner to permit the required pivotal movement ofthe lever incident to occupying latching and non-latching positions. Thelatch lever is disposed beneath the plate 23, and the plate is providedwith a slot 29 through which the lug 26 can project to engage Within theslot 20 of the plate 15. The upper and lower edges of the lug 26 arerounded as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the lower rounded edge acting as acam to move the lug to a projected or latching position, such positionbeing positively defined by a shoul der 26a on the lug, which enga esthe plate 23.

In the body of the heel, be ow the tongue 21, is a pocket 30 in which isslidably received an actuating plunger 31 yieldably urged to theprojected position shown in Fig. 1 by means of a spring 32. disposedwithin the pocket. The plunger is limited in its longitudinal movementby means of a p-in 33 eX- tended through the pocket and through apressing the plunger 31 inwardly with the nger moving the heeldownwardly on the shoe, thereby causing the tongue to move into theroove until the upper end of the late a uts the inner ends of thechannels orming the tongue 21. In this position of the tongue, the lug26 is in registration with the slot so that y releasing the plunger31the spring 32 acts to reject the plunger and therebly cam the lugupwardly into the slot 20. Int i s manner -the tongue is secured a instremoval from 'the groove, andv throug the coaction of the tongue andgroove the heel is se- A cured inxed position upon the shoe.

To detach the heel, the plun r 31 is forced inwardl as illustrated 1nFig. 2 until the lower e ge of the lug 26 seats within the reprojectionwhen in one position and in the other siton to 'engage the projection tomove t e lug into the slot of the groove member for securin the tonguemember against removal from t e groove member, a pin engaging theplunger to limit longitudinal movement of the latter, and a springengaging the plunger to yieldably urgetlie latter to aposltion in whichthe projection is dispos in said recess.

Sioned at Los Angeles in the county of Los geles and State ofdalifornia, this 14th day of April, A. D. 1928.

MANUEL S. GUTIRREZ.

cess 35, thereby permitting lowering'of the lug and its removal from theslot 20. By moving the heel upwardly, as indicated'by the arrow in Fig.2, the tongue cannow be removed from the groove and as a consequence theheel is now detached from the shoe.

It will be understood that heels of various heights can be applied to asin le shoe so as to convert the shoe into a wal 'n -shoe or a dressshoe, and irrespective of the eightofthe heel my attaching means willoperate to fixedly secure the heel in proper position upon the shoe. s

Although I have herein shown and described only one form of detachableshoe heel embodying my invention, it is to be understood that varlouschan es and modifications may be made herein wit out de arting from thespirit of the invention and t e spirit and scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

Means for detachably securin aheel to a shoe comprising a oove mem radapted to be secured to the s oe and including a plate rovided withanges spaced and in converglng relation to form an intervening groove ofdovetail contour, said plate being rovided with a slot at a int betweenthe anges, a head of dovetail orm adapted to be secured to the heel andhaving a sliding fit within the groove formed by said flanges, saidtongue member provided with a slot, a latch lever adap to bev pivotedwithin the heel and havin a lug adapted to project through the slot othe tongue member and into the slot ofthe groove member, said lug havinga rounded projection, a plunger adapted to be mounted for longitudinalmovement with the heel and having a recess to receive said

